Berserkers of Skallathrax
The Berserkers of Skallathrax are a warband of Chaos Space Marines drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. There have been multiple encounters throughout the Segmentum Obscurus between the forces of the Imperium of Man and this vicious warband of Heretic Astartes dedicated to the Blood God Khorne. Warband History The Berserkers of Skallathrax are a warband of corrupted Astartes drawn from the World Eaters Traitor Legion. After the end of the Horus Heresy the Traitor Legions were driven by the actions of Imperial forces into the Eye of Terror, a vast Warp rift of Daemon Worlds awash in Warp Storms. The World Eaters retreated from Terra only grudgingly and fought their way to the Eye of Terror, carving a bloody swathe through anything that impeded them. Within the Eye, the Traitor Legions eventually established a society dedicated to the rule and worship of Chaos. Whilst within the Eye, the World Eaters' searched for a homeworld to call their own. The World Eaters constantly fought the other Traitor Legions in bloody conflict as was the nature of those dedicated to Chaos, constantly trying to prove their worth to their Blood God, Khorne. But one such conflict would finally sunder the World Eaters Legion as a coherent, unified military force on the Daemon World of Skallathrax. The World Eaters faced off against the Emperor's Children Chaos Space Marines, the devoted servants of the Chaos God Slaanesh, the chief rival among the Ruinous Powers of the World Eaters' own patron God. The two armies of Traitor Marines clashed through the planet's storm-lashed cities of black rock and ice in what was later known as the Battle of Skalathrax. City after city fell to the Khornate Berserker assaults of the World Eaters, as the chosen of Khorne hurled themselves at the Emperor's Children, slaughtering the hated Slaaneshi devotees until forced to halt their attack as the Daemon World's deep freezing night fell, bringing temperatures so low that they were barely survivable even for Astartes in Power Armour. A skilled World Eaters Captain by the name of Khârn, infuriated with the refusal of his fellow World Eaters to continue to attack the enemy while they sought shelter from the falling temperatures, proceeded to burn the shelters of both his own men and those of the enemy, killing both friend and foe alike as he did so and thus earning the title of "The Betrayer". This act shattered the World Eaters Legion's already fraying unity, splintering it into multiple warbands of Khornate Berserkers that roam the Eye of Terror to this day. The Berserkers of Skallathrax are one of the larger of these warbands that split off from their former Legion. Notable Campaigns *'The Siege of Vraks (813-830.M41)' - The Berserkers of Skallathrax were one of the many warbands of Chaos Space Marines who were drawn to the Imperial Armoury World of Vraks Prime to aid in the slaughter alongside the Forces of Chaos led by the mighty Lord Zhufor, of the Khornate warband the Skulltakers, during the 17-year-long siege. Sickened by reports from the front of cowardice and desertion in the face of the enemy, Zhufor sought to unify the various Khornate warbands under his leadership. But the Berserkers of Skallathrax, like their fellow Khornate warbands whom followed the Blood God, did not give their loyalty easily. They only respected martial prowess and few could match Zhufor's. A giant of a man, he led by example and by fear. He challenged the leader of the Berserkers of Skallathrax to a duel to the death. At stake would be the leadership of both warbands. To refuse would be an affront to Khorne. Such a battle between his champions would please Khorne mightily. So, stripped of armour and armed with chainaxes the two Chaos Lords fought to the death, Zhufor winning the mighty combat. Striking the head from his opponent, he raised it to the baying crowd and claimed, by right of conquest, lordship over the Berserkers of Skallathrax. Any who would oppose his rule had to challenge him, yet none of the others came forward. Zhufor was Khorne's chosen Champion on Vraks and he had proved it with his own blood-soaked hands. The Berserkers of Skallathrax thereafter fought for him. After the Siege of Vraks ended in a pyrrhic victory for the Imperial forces, the Berserkers fled off-planet and their current location is unknown. Warband Appearance Warband Colours The Berserkers of Skallathrax wear the colours of devotees of the Blood God; blood-red Power Armour trimmed in brass. Warband Badge The Berserkers of Skallathrax's emblem is reminiscent of the distinctive symbol of their former parent Legion -- the World Eaters -- which depicts a planet being devoured by a monstrous maw. Sources *''Imperial Armour Volume Seven - The Siege of Vraks - Part Three'', pp. 17, 59, 138 Gallery File:Berserkers_of_Skallathrax_Rhino.jpg|A Chaos Rhino armoured personnel carrier of the Berserkers of Skallathrax, knocked out of commission by Imperial artillery fire close to the Great Gate of the Citadel of Vraks es:Berserkers de Skallathrax Category:B Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Space Marine Legions Category:World Eaters